How to Choose Backup Software

A Gulfport restaurant group spent three months evaluating "enterprise" backup software. They demoed Veeam, Rubrik, Cohesity, and three other enterprise platforms. They hired a consultant to help. In the end, they implemented Veeam — a product designed for IT departments managing hundreds of virtual machines.

They had 12 employees and three POS systems.

They spent $15,000 on software and implementation. The "enterprise" solution required ongoing IT management that they didn't have. Six months later, backups were failing silently and nobody knew.

The right backup software matches your actual situation, not your aspirational one.

How to Think About This

Before looking at specific products, define your situation:

1. How much data?

• Under 1TB: Most consumer or small-business tools work fine
• 1-5TB: Business-grade tools with per-TB pricing
• 5-20TB: Mid-market solutions, possibly with local hardware
• 20TB+: Enterprise territory, needs dedicated IT staff

2. How many computers/servers?

• 1-5 computers: Cloud backup (Backblaze, Carbonite) handles this automatically
• 5-25 computers: Business backup software with central management
• 25+ computers: Enterprise platform or managed service

3. What types of data?

• Files and folders: Standard backup software works
• Databases (QuickBooks, SQL Server, patient management): Need application-aware backup
• Virtual machines: Need VM-specific backup or agentless backup
• SaaS applications (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace): Need dedicated SaaS backup

4. What's your IT situation?

• No IT staff: Cloud backup service with managed monitoring, or all-in-one solution
• Part-time IT person: Business-grade software they can manage
• Dedicated IT department: Enterprise platform with full features

5. What are your RTO and RTO requirements? (See our RPO vs RTO article if you haven't defined these yet.)

• RTO under 4 hours: Need local backup with tested restore procedures
• RTO 4-24 hours: Cloud backup with documented procedures is fine
• RTO over 24 hours: Basic cloud backup sufficient

Categories of Backup Software

Consumer/Personal Backup

Examples: Backblaze Personal, Carbonite Personal, CrashPlan Home

Good for: Single person, single computer, simple file backup

Not good for: Multiple computers, business applications, databases, compliance requirements

Price: $7-15/month unlimited or per-computer

Small Business Backup

Examples: Backblaze B2 + Veeam Community, Acronis Cyber Protect, Paragon Backup, Macrium

Good for: 1-10 computers, basic file and application backup, IT-literate users

Not good for: Businesses needing compliance documentation, multiple servers, complex restore requirements

Price: $0-500/year for software + $6-10/TB/month for cloud storage

Mid-Market Backup

Examples: Veeam Backup & Replication, Acronis Cyber Protect Advanced, Nakivo, Rubrik Go (not full Rubrik)

Good for: 10-100 computers, multiple servers, virtual environments, some compliance needs

Not good for: Businesses without IT staff to manage the software

Price: $500-5,000/year depending on capacity

Enterprise Backup

Examples: Veeam Enterprise, Rubrik, Cohesity, Commvault, Dell PowerProtect

Good for: Large environments, complex compliance, multi-site deployments, IT departments

Not good for: SMBs without dedicated IT staff — you'll use 10% of the features and pay for 100%

Price: $10,000+/year

Managed Backup Service

Examples: Datto, Barracuda Managed Backup, Intronis, local MSP offerings

Good for: Businesses that want backup managed by someone else, need monitoring and support, don't have IT staff

Not good for: Businesses that want full control and have IT staff to manage it

Price: $100-500/month depending on data size and features

What to Actually Evaluate

1. How long does restore actually take?

Don't ask vendors "what's your restore time?" Ask them: "If I have 500GB of data and a 100Mbps internet connection, how long does a full restore take?"

Test it yourself if possible. Many vendors offer trial periods.

2. What does the restore process actually look like?

Can you restore a single file without calling support? Can you restore to a different computer? Can you restore without overwriting current files?

The restore UI should be simple enough that you could do it under pressure during an incident.

3. What's not included?

Common exclusions:

• Egress fees for large restores
• Support for certain applications (databases, ERP, CRM)
• Retention beyond 30 days
• Compliance features (legal hold, audit logs)
• More than a certain number of machines

Get a detailed feature comparison. Don't assume standard tier includes everything.

4. What happens when you stop paying?

Some services immediately delete your backups. Some give you 30-90 days to export. Some mark you as "read-only" but keep data available.

This matters if you're considering switching vendors or if the company goes out of business.

5. Can you export your data easily?

If you decide to leave, can you get your data out? What's the process? How long does it take? Is there a fee?

What It Costs

Consumer tools: $7-15/month unlimited

Small business (file backup):

• Backblaze B2: $6/TB/month
• Veeam Community: Free
• Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office: $50-100/year
• Total: $0-150/year + storage

Small business (full backup):

• Veeam Backup & Replication: $600/capacity unit (~$2,000/year minimum)
• Acronis Cyber Protect: $20-50/workstation/year
• Total: $2,000-5,000/year

Managed backup service:

• Datto: $200-500/month depending on data
• Local MSP managed backup: $100-300/month
• Total: $1,200-6,000/year

What Can Go Wrong

You buy enterprise software without IT staff to manage it. See the Gulfport restaurant group above. Complex software requires ongoing attention. Without someone managing it, it fails silently.

You buy based on features you don't need. You're comparing Rubrik vs. Veeam when your actual need is "back up 2TB and let me restore a file when someone deletes it." You're paying for enterprise features you'll never use.

You buy a cheap tool that doesn't scale. Your data grows from 500GB to 3TB. Your $50/year backup software starts taking 3 days to complete backups. The cheap tool doesn't have a good migration path to something more robust.

You ignore egress fees until you need a big restore. You signed up for AWS backup because the storage price looked good. Restoring 2TB costs $180 in egress fees. That wasn't in the comparison spreadsheet.

You don't test before you need it. The restore UI looked fine in the demo. Under pressure, with your server down and employees waiting, you can't figure out how to restore to a different machine. Demo environments are not production environments.

Vendor Questions (Copy/Paste)

1. "Show me how to restore a single file to a different computer. Can I do that without calling support?"
2. "What happens if I need to restore 2TB over my 100Mbps connection? How long does that take?"
3. "What are your egress fees for large restores?"
4. "If I stop paying, what happens to my backups? How long do I have to export them?"
5. "Can I see a real restore test from one of your clients, not just a demo?"
6. "What's your actual support response time, not just your SLA description?"

Minimum Viable Implementation

1. Define your RTO and RPO first. (See our backup strategy article.) Without these numbers, you're comparing tools without knowing which one actually fits your needs.

2. Match the tool category to your situation. Under 5 computers and no IT staff: cloud backup service (Backblaze, Carbonite). Multiple computers and basic IT knowledge: Veeam Community + Backblaze B2. Compliance requirements or complex needs: managed service or mid-market tool.

3. Get a 30-day trial. Test restore, not just backup. Can you actually restore a file? Can you restore to a different computer? Can you find the restore UI under pressure?

4. Calculate the first-year cost, not just monthly. Include software, storage, support, and egress fees. Compare this total across vendors, not just the headline price.

5. Document the restore procedure. Once you choose a tool, write down step-by-step: how to restore a file, how to restore a full system, who to call if it doesn't work. Test this documentation with someone who didn't set it up.

When to Hire Help

• You have databases (SQL Server, QuickBooks Enterprise, EMR systems)
• You need compliance documentation (HIPAA, FINRA, SEC)
• Your data exceeds 5TB
• You have multiple locations or remote workers
• You don't have IT staff and don't want to manage backup software
• You've been using the same backup software for over 5 years without reviewing whether it still fits

The best backup software is the one you actually use, test regularly, and can restore from when needed. Features and price matter. Usability and reliability matter more.

A simple tool used consistently beats a sophisticated tool that's barely understood.